The JD Vance ally who was too 'weird' and 'creepy' even for MAGA Republicans

Blake Masters, an ally of Sen. JD Vance and tech billionaire Peter Thiel (R-Ohio), suffered another loss when, in late July, Abe Hamadeh — another far-right MAGA Republican — defeated him in a U.S. House primary in Arizona's 8th Congressional District. This loss comes two years after now-Sen. Mark Kelly (D-Arizona) defeated him in Arizona's 2022 U.S. Senate race.

In an article published on August 5, Slate's Alexander Sammon stresses that Masters' loss to Hamadeh raises a question: Was Masters too "weird" and "creepy" even for MAGA voters?

"He said creepy things this time around too," Sammon explains. "Like, that his opponent was unqualified because, without wife and kids, he had 'no skin in the game.' His super PAC insinuated that his opponent, another right-wing MAGA candidate, was a 'terrorist sympathizer.' Last week, Masters lost that race."

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Sammon continues, "It's sort of an amazing turn of events for a man who was handpicked by Thiel, alongside J.D. Vance, to advance a sort of Trumpian tech-bro politics of regressive social attitudes and protectionist economics. And the result is yet another blow to the rapidly weakening Vance brand, who, since his elevation to the Trump ticket, has proved to be overwhelmingly toxic to voters. The result is yet another showcase of the weakness of weird."

Sammon emphasizes that Masters lost to Hamadeh in a deeply Republican district.

"Democrats are not competitive in the district, and extreme, far-right beliefs and conspiracy theories are commonplace," the Slate journalist observes. "There was some belief that Masters' combination of name recognition, big money backing — he got a $25 million bonus from one of Thiel's firms just weeks before he announced his candidacy — and freedom from having to moderate to the center might deliver a victory in a crowded primary race."

Sammon continues, "But even the cash advantage didn't get the job done. It didn't help that Masters doesn't live in the district — he doesn't even live close to it, holed up in faraway Tucson. But neither does Abraham Hamadeh, who actually won the race."

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Read the full Slate article at this link.